Oatmeal
by butterflymind
Summary: DS. How not to make friends in a canteen.


_Disclaimer: Ain't mine, never will be, least that's what my therapist says…_

_Authors note: I'd just like to point out this is completely Star's fault. Totally. She blames the caffiene I blame her hatred of the end of WoO (come one, who didn't cringe?) Just some thoughts through that final scene that suddenly occurred. Oh if you get confused who's thinking in the middle (though I'd think it was fairly obvious) the order runs Jack, Daniel Sam from where I stop mentioning who's thinking._

"Were you ever tempted to do anything, you know, crazy?" Daniel's voice was tinged with faint nervousness as he looked up at Jack, much as he trusted him he knew O'Neill's sense of humour and an O'Neill without boundaries? Imperceptibly, he shuddered. Jack didn't respond to his question, didn't seem to notice him at all and for a second Daniel was relieved, he couldn't have done anything to him then. But it was short-lived, he followed Jack's gaze and found…

'Oh he didn't.' Daniel thought. He looked behind Sam, praying for someone, anyone to be standing there 'who are you kidding Daniel?' he asked himself. Sam seemed oblivious to Jack's scrutiny for a moment, probably still mulling over the concept Daniel had proposed. Then her eyes flicked up and she caught his, a faint blush spread over her features and Daniel couldn't tear his eyes away from watching her face settle into that vacant mask that was beautifully designed to tell Jack everything and nothing. What was going on behind it, even he couldn't tell.

'Why is he? Oh.' Wherever Sam's train of thought was going, it stopped abruptly. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks and cursed pale skin, talk about all the wrong signals. 'But he wouldn't, I mean it'd be against everything….' 'No consequences Sam' a voice that sounded hauntingly like Daniel's chimed in. 'Oh.' Sam thought again.

Jack looked into her eyes as she stared at him all other noise in the room dying away, he lived for this moment.

'She really knows, she looks so happy.'

'Is my face still connected to my brain?' Sam asked herself, she wasn't even sure what her expression was, though for the sake of harmony, that might be a good thing.

'What's going on?' Daniel asked, trying to throw in a mental interjection. It was spectacularly unsuccessful.

' Does he know? Would she…I mean would I tell him?' She tried to search for an answer in his face.

'She's still looking, that's gotta be good, that's gotta mean that she's at least thinking, right? After all this is Sam. Mmm, should oatmeal be this chewy?'

'Am I jealous? Do I even have a reason to be jealous? Did it even really happen? Did it even happen at all, do I want to know? God how long can he chew that for?'

'Why is Daniel fidgeting so much? Is he? No, good, that's the last thing we needed. Besides that'd be weird, even for Daniel. No, especially for Daniel. If I look at him, Jack'll notice.'

'God she hasn't looked away, maybe I should resign again.'

'Oh wait a minute, didn't he say that was oatmeal?'

'His hand's on my thigh. Mmm warm. At least I think it's…nah no one has arms that long.'

'She's smiling, she looks, interested. Score for the old guy!'

'Oh that's her hand, yeah that makes more sense. Is she aware she's still staring? Jack sure is, ok, down with the cavemen instincts. She said yes, remember? Hang on a minute, hadn't they run out of oatmeal?'

'This is getting ridiculous. Look away already! What do I do now? Drop coyly to one side and encourage him more? Close my eyes and give him an excuse to get m out of here? Drag Daniel over to me and really make the point? Stay like this? Lets face the amount of that stuff he's eaten, I'm gonna die of starvation first.'

'Chew, swallow, chew'

'Oh no wait, I remember, no one ever ordered it so they replaced it with, oh ewwww….'

'I prefer option three, mind you, it's the impression on my career record that might be a little worse. I kinda wish I had told him, would save me remembering his reaction.'

'Ok I'm getting a little bored with this game, time to blow this place.'

'Still, I guess wallpaper paste is organic… sort of.'

'Um actually he looks kinda uncomfortable. Ok Daniel, your hand's giving you away, what's so funny?'

'Time to say something, something suave, drop the kid and whisk away to dinner and candles and…are my teeth stuck together?'

'I guess I'm never gonna get an answer out of you then Jack. Oh well, it was only my opinion after all, you're the expert on military regs. I just don't think it can cover people who aren't military, even if they do work together. Still I wasn't dropping hints, I was dropping anvils.'

'I think Daniel wants to go, it's the way half his weight is lent into me. Wonder what the hurry is.'

'Now I know that Space monkey look, he knows something. Uh oh, probably means I'm gonna hear about it. Ahh, mental muzak.'

Sam stood, allowing Daniel out and he stood beside her, gently pressuring her out of the door.

"Bye Jack. Sam and I are just gonna go have dinner, then I think yes, we'll sleep at her place tonight, she has silk sheets y'know." He felt Sam's jaw drop, but he got out of the door of the otherwise empty mess hall.

"I can't believe you just…" She began trying to decide between anger and giggles.

"He never listens to me normally and he just glued his jaw together, do you honestly think he heard a word I just said?"

"What?" Sam asked eyes wide. He responded by putting a hand to the small of her back, guiding her towards the lift.

"I'll tell you later" he grinned.

'Do dum do do dodum do…' oh he's gone. Jack tried for a second to flex his stubbornly set jaw then looked up, Sam had disappeared.

"Aw crap." He muttered but then thought about it, did he really want her to see him when he had to explain this to Janet?

'Little slow flirtation is good' he reasoned 'maybe tomorrow a little dinner, then whatever.' He grinned suddenly struck by the vague idea that she had silk sheets. God she must have told him that, that had to be a sign. Sighing he picked up the bowl by the spoon and dumped it on the counter, sparing a glare for the cook. She ignored him. As he left for the infirmary he mused. 'What had Daniel said?'

End


End file.
